Sky-Watcher Solarquest Mount S21170

Sky-Watcher SolarQuest Solar Tracking Mount

Automatic Solar GoTo for Safe, Effortless Observing

Whether you're a seasoned solar observer or simply looking to explore the surface of our closest star for the first time, the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount offers a painless and remarkably accurate way to do it. Designed specifically for solar telescopes, this intelligent altazimuth tracking platform eliminates the guesswork — and most of the setup — involved in solar viewing.

Truly Automatic Solar Alignment

Traditional solar tracking requires careful polar alignment, time input, and accurate leveling. The SolarQuest skips all of that. With its built-in GPS, compass, and innovative “HelioFind” technology, the SolarQuest automatically detects and tracks the Sun after a single press of the power button. No app. No date or time entry. No fuss.

Within moments of powering on, the mount calculates its position, slews toward the Sun, and centers it in your eyepiece with surprising accuracy. From there, it will keep the Sun tracked and centered for hours. No clutches to adjust. No hand controller to fiddle with. It’s as close to plug-and-play solar observing as it gets.

Compact and Lightweight

Weighing in at just 8.6 pounds (including the mount head and tripod), the SolarQuest is easy to carry with one hand and set up in seconds. It’s perfect for grab-and-go observing sessions from your backyard, your driveway, or a remote field site. The mount head supports payloads up to 11 pounds, which is ideal for most small solar scopes — including dedicated H-alpha instruments like the Lunt 50mm or 60mm, and white-light filtered refractors up to around 80mm in aperture.

The sturdy aluminum tripod locks securely, keeping vibrations to a minimum even at higher powers, and the simple single-arm design means no polar alignment or counterweights to mess with.

Safety First

Solar observing demands care, and the SolarQuest is built with safety in mind. The HelioFind technology uses indirect solar location methods — no optical sensors are ever exposed to direct sunlight. Of course, a proper solar filter is still absolutely essential on any telescope you plan to use with the SolarQuest. This mount doesn't include one, but it makes safe observing easier by keeping the Sun centered without frequent adjustments that can lead to accidental misalignments.

Once aligned, the SolarQuest tracks at solar sidereal rate, ensuring that even high-magnification views of solar granulation, sunspots, and prominences stay steadily in frame. This is especially helpful for outreach events, where you may have multiple people cycling through the eyepiece — or for photography, where precise tracking over time is critical for image stacking and detail capture.

Ideal for Outreach, Imaging, and Everyday Solar Observation

If you run solar outreach programs, you'll appreciate the "set it and forget it" simplicity of the SolarQuest. It turns what can be a fiddly and intimidating setup into a smooth and reliable experience that lets you focus on talking about the Sun rather than fighting to keep it in view.

Solar imagers will also benefit from the smooth tracking performance. While not an equatorial platform, the SolarQuest works extremely well for short-exposure solar imaging and video capture using planetary cameras. Paired with a proper H-alpha scope or wedge-filtered refractor, it’s capable of delivering sharp, stable footage of solar detail.

Key Features:

• GPS-based location and time acquisition

• Auto-leveling and automatic solar location via HelioFind

• Altazimuth design, no polar alignment required

• 11-pound payload capacity — ideal for small solar scopes

• Standard Vixen-style dovetail saddle

• Quiet, smooth tracking with onboard DC servo motors

• Powered by 8 AA batteries or external 12V DC supply

• Lightweight, portable, and fast to set up

A Specialized Mount That Does One Job Exceptionally Well

Sky-Watcher didn’t set out to build an all-purpose mount with the SolarQuest. They focused on one thing: effortless solar tracking. And they nailed it. If you’ve ever struggled to keep the Sun in the field, or hesitated to set up your solar scope because of the time it takes to align a traditional mount, this is the solution you’ve been waiting for.

It’s an elegant, clever tool designed for observers who want maximum results with minimal setup. For safe, accurate, and truly hassle-free solar observing, the SolarQuest stands in a class of its own.

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